The Martial God with Psychic Powers-Chapter 55

The expressions of the students who were about to be promoted to Elite tier crumbled at Jang Un and Seon Woo Baek’s words.

“Ugh... I don’t even have the strength to talk, so just go already.”

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At Jang Un’s remark, everyone stood up with drooping shoulders and slumped bodies.

When Heo Wook dragged himself weakly back into the class, Jang Man-un tilted his head in confusion at the sight.

Why does he look like a ghost after just meeting with Seon Woo Baek?

He was curious.

Jang Man-un stood up from his seat and headed to the Black Tortoise Class, where Seon Woo Baek was.

Peeking in from outside, he saw Seon Woo Baek staring blankly ahead, his face pale and vacant, completely spaced out.

Jang Un, seated beside him, looked exactly the same.

Pfft—.

A chuckle escaped him.

'What, did they end up training all night because of me or something?'

He chuckled again.

They must have been so on edge that they trained through the night without sleep.

'I should probably give them more time out of pity.'

He had planned to break Seon Woo Baek within this week and take the title of strongest among the lowerclassmen.

But seeing such effort, it felt almost admirable. He decided to give him a bit more time.

'I really am generous, huh.'

Still, with someone trying that hard, was there any need to crush him?

He figured it would be better to coax him into joining his side.

Talents like that didn’t come around often.

'You never know. I might end up taking control of Baekcheon Gate myself. Better start collecting talent now, just in case.'

There’s no rule saying the eldest son has to become Gate Master.

In the Martial God Sect, strength was the only law.

Jang Man-un, having made up his mind to recruit Seon Woo Baek and Jang Un into his camp, returned to the White Tiger Class.

Jang Un quietly said to Seon Woo Baek,

“Hey, Jang Man-un came by.”

“He just left?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank god. I don’t even have the strength to move a finger today.”

“Must’ve enjoyed seeing your state. He left grinning like ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) an idiot.”

“Let him laugh all he wants. That grin won’t last much longer.”

“Oh? You sound pretty confident.”

“Dude... we’re training under Woo Jin right now... You think someone like Jang Man-un even registers?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“I really don’t have the energy to talk. Let’s shut up now.”

“Yeah... gotta save whatever strength we can... We’ve got another round tonight...”

“Shit... you’re right...”

Tears welled up in Seon Woo Baek’s eyes.

Same for Jang Un.

****

Under the Martial God Sect, ranked forty-first in the hierarchy, stood the sect of Ten Thousand Auspices Gate.

It was Gong Ya-cheon’s family sect.

“How’s the new academy treating you?”

At the Gate Master Gong Ya-son’s question, Gong Ya-cheon set down the tea he was drinking and replied,

“It’s good.”

“Looking at your face, I can tell. Does it feel more peaceful than Black Shadow?”

“Yes.”

“What are the students at Baekyeong Martial Academy like?”

“They’re good kids. Strong, too.”

“Strong, huh... Right. What about that Seon Woo Baek kid who beat the top of the Black Shadow Academy?”

“He absolutely has the makings to claim the top spot.”

“Think you can guide him well?”

He didn’t answer that part.

“Seems difficult.”

“I think I need some more time to adjust.”

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be easy to blend in right away. But this was your choice, so I’ll trust you to handle it. Still, if it ever gets too much, don’t hesitate to say something.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“So. Still no thoughts about becoming the next successor of the sect? We can’t leave that seat vacant forever. If you truly have no intention, I’ll have to pass it on to your younger brother.”

At Gong Ya-son’s words, Gong Ya-cheon finally spoke.

“I’ll do it.”

“...What?”

“I’ll become the heir to the sect.”

“Oho! Are you serious?”

“Yes!”

“They say a man’s word is worth a thousand pieces of gold!”

“Yes!”

“Put it in writing.”

“...Do I really have to?”

“I need something to pull out whenever I start doubting you.”

Seeing his father smile so brightly—truly happy—brought a pang to Gong Ya-cheon’s chest.

Just how much had he suffered for this to bring him such joy?

It pained him, feeling like he’d been an unfilial son.

Until now, his body had been unfit for martial arts, so he hadn’t dared to say he’d become the successor.

But now, there was hope.

For the sake of his father, who looked so happy, he swore to restore his body and master martial arts no matter what.

Pressed by Gong Ya-son, who brought ink and paper himself, Gong Ya-cheon wrote out his intentions, one word at a time.

His handwriting was so grand, it felt like the characters were alive.

“Ha ha ha! I’m not just saying this because you’re my son—this is masterful calligraphy! It looks like the letters could jump off the page!”

“You flatter me.”

“It’s not flattery. I’ve had no shortage of people secretly asking me for samples of your writing.”

And that was true.

Several sects had come requesting him to write inscriptions for their plaques—his handwriting was that exceptional.

“So, what made you decide all of a sudden? A change of heart?”

“Yes.”

“Can you share that change of heart with your father?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll explain it another time.”

Though he was curious, Gong Ya-son held back. If he pushed too hard, his son might change his mind again.

“Alright. Tell me whenever you’re ready.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Haha, no need to thank me. You’ve fulfilled my lifelong wish—I should be the one thanking you.”

“I’ll promise you one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll raise Ten Thousand Auspices Gate to the upper echelon of sects.”

“Ha ha ha! That’s what I like to hear. If you do that, I’ll rise from the grave and dance with you on my back.”

Gong Ya-son clearly didn’t expect to live to see that day.

“No grave dancing, Father. You’ll live to see it happen. I promise you.”

Seeing the serious look on Gong Ya-cheon’s face, Gong Ya-son gave a firm nod.

“Alright! I’ll believe you!”

****

“Ready?”

“Yeah!”

Gong Ya-cheon stood before Yeon Woo Jin, wearing a solemn expression.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

“Okay!”

“Just copy my posture. It’s easy.”

“Got it.”

Yeon Woo Jin began taking on a strange pose.

“...Huh?”

For the first time, Gong Ya-cheon looked flustered.

“This is the most basic position. What are you waiting for? Hurry up.”

“T-This is the basic one?”

“Yeah.”

Though flustered, Gong Ya-cheon tried to follow along.

But his body was stiff, and the posture didn’t come together the way he imagined.

Seeing that, Yeon Woo Jin sighed and dropped the stance.

“Sigh. You’re stiff as a tree. No, you are a tree.”

“I... I can do this!”

“You have to twist more.”

“From here?”

“Frustrating. Like this.”

Yeon Woo Jin walked over and began physically twisting Gong Ya-cheon’s body.

“Gaaahk!”

A scream escaped Gong Ya-cheon’s mouth.

“More!”

“Agh... I can’t...!”

“You can!”

“GAAAHHH!!”

The scream was so chilling that even the students training nearby flinched at the sound.

“God, what kind of glory is worth going through that?”

“I’ve been through it. I’m telling you, it confirms the afterlife is real.”

“Even torture wouldn’t hurt as bad as that.”

“You know what? He hasn’t even started the Yoga-Reversing Muscle and Tendon Formation yet.”

Everyone shuddered at the mention of the Yoga-Reversing Muscle and Tendon Formation.

“You think that’s bad? I heard he’s going to undergo the Yoga-Reversing Heavenly Martial Formation.”

“Death would be kinder.”

They all looked at Gong Ya-cheon with pity.

Especially Jang Un and Seon Woo Baek, who had experienced it firsthand—every scream made them flinch as if it were happening to them all over again.

At least they were flexible enough that the Yoga Techniques didn’t torture them quite as badly.

“Should we tell him this is the lightest pain he’s going to feel going forward?”

“There’s an old saying for this.”

“What?”

“Ignorance is bliss.”

“Ah.”

“Let’s just shut up.”

“Yeah, that’s probably wise.”

“This isn’t the time to worry about him. Once he’s done, it’s our turn.”

At Jang Un’s words, Seon Woo Baek's face darkened instantly.

“Let’s go over what we lacked yesterday.”

“Good idea.”

The two of them began discussing what they had struggled with during their sparring session with Yeon Woo Jin the day before.

Meanwhile, Gong Ya-cheon, currently being folded and twisted like a toy in Woo Jin’s hands, began to question whether this was really the right path.

This was just... torture. Plain and simple.

Was this actually supposed to help?

“All right, this area’s where the real problem is.”

Would he go easy now, since it was a “problem area”?

“I’m going in all at once.”

Apparently not.

Crack—

“Guhhhhk!”

When Woo Jin forcefully twisted his neck, which refused to bend backward, a shock like lightning tore through his entire body.

“Now, hold that pose until I say you can stop.”

He was in too much pain to even reply.

“Well, I guess your body will loosen up eventually.”

Yeon Woo Jin knew full well that Gong Ya-cheon was in no state to hear a single word right now.

Leaving him behind in agony, Woo Jin turned around—and immediately, every student nearby snapped their heads in the opposite direction.

None of them wanted to make eye contact.

Except for two.

“Jang Un. Seon Woo Baek.”

At the sound of their names, both of their faces visibly aged a few years.

“What are you doing? Get over here.”

“...Got it...”

Over in the furthest corner of the room, Go Seung had been training in the quietest, most discreet way possible, hoping against all odds that Yeon Woo Jin had forgotten he existed.

“Hey, upperclassman. What are you doing? You’re coming too.”

And just like that, his fragile hope was shattered into pieces.

****

The next day.

Jang Man-un noticed something strange.

The academic-track students looked fine, but the martial-track students stumbled into class every day like they were about to drop dead.

They were all taking the same lessons, so why did the martial-track ones look like they hadn’t slept in a week?

‘What’s going on? Are they holding secret training sessions every night?’

If that were the case, Seon Woo Baek would definitely be the ringleader.

‘He knows it’s not enough for only him to get stronger.’

One person’s strength wasn’t enough.

Sure, if you were someone like the Leader of the Martial God Sect, someone absurdly strong, then maybe. But that was the exception, not the rule.

The reason he thought that way was because Seon Woo Baek looked more drained than anyone else.

What kind of training was he doing to end up like this every single day?

He couldn’t help but wonder.

‘Maybe I’ll tail them today, see what they’re up to.’

It wasn’t about being cautious.

He was confident he could beat them if it came to it.

This was just curiosity.

He wanted to know what kind of training the group was doing.

And what kind of hell Seon Woo Baek was personally enduring.

While observing them, Jang Man-un spotted Gong Ya-cheon.

He didn’t like him.

After all, he was a traitor to his own clan.

They might have been half-brothers, but Jang Man-un never considered him a real brother. Still, Gong Ya-cheon had Jang blood in his veins.

He had once served as strategist to Jang Manseong, a fellow member of the Jang family.

And now, there he was, standing next to Seon Woo Baek.

That made him a traitor.

If he had come running to him instead, Jang Man-un might’ve let it slide with a smile.

‘Out of everyone, you’re the one I’ll never forgive.’

A traitor must be punished.

But even Gong Ya-cheon didn’t look so great today.

No, actually—he looked worse than the others.

His face was pale and ashen, like he might collapse at any second.

Wasn’t he supposed to be a strategist?

‘What the hell? Is he training too?’

Why would a brain like him be suffering with the muscleheads?

A guy like that, going through physical training? Ridiculous.

Total disappointment.

‘Guess I’ll find out soon enough what kind of stupid shit he’s been doing.’

What Jang Man-un didn’t know...

...was that Yeon Woo Jin was watching him.

Smirking faintly, Yeon Woo Jin turned to Seon Woo Baek and Jang Un, and said quietly,

“Today’s free training. Just ‘cause I’m not around doesn’t mean you get to slack off.”

Jang Un and Seon Woo Baek nearly burst into cheers.

With inhuman self-control, they barely held it in and forced looks of disappointment onto their faces.

“What? A session without you isn’t even real training.”

“Yeah. You’re coming back soon, right?”

Seeing them spout such nonsense, Yeon Woo Jin smiled.

“If you’re that eager, I’ll try to wrap things up quickly and return.”

Their faces froze in horror.

That wasn’t the plan.

Both of them mentally slapped themselves. Why did they even say anything?

Then, Woo Jin turned to Seon Woo Baek and said something cryptic.

“Don’t lose. Got it? You have to win.”

Huh?

What was that supposed to mean?

“You’ll find out during training later.”

A wave of unease swept over him.

What the hell had Woo Jin planned this time?

But as always, Yeon Woo Jin just smiled—whether he knew their dread or not, no one could tell.